Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 24 January 2000

Scottish Executive

Air Accident

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3010 by Lord Hardie on 21 December 1999, whether the Crown Office was advised by the Ministry of Defence as to whether all of the software defects in the Chinook FADEC system were removed by the time the FADEC system went into production.

Lord Hardie: The information which Crown Office obtained from the Ministry of Defence focussed on whether there were any defects in the FADEC system which could conceivably have contributed to the crash. The Ministry of Defence explained that there were no such defects. As I explained in my answer to question S1W-2002, and repeated in my answer to question S1W-3471, the allegations in relation to the FADEC software were considered fully by the House of Commons Defence Committee in March 1998 and that Committee concluded that there was no evidence to support claims that design flaws in the aircraft or its components (including the FADEC system) contributed to the crash.

Broadcasting

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what, if any, powers it has to take steps to underpin the future viability of Scotland’s network of locally-run community radio stations and what action it plans to take in this respect.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has powers to fund Gaelic broadcasting, but there is no statutory provision for government to provide financial support to independent radio stations. Organisations running radio stations may in certain circumstances be eligible for support from Local Enterprise Companies and other public bodies, although the Broadcasting Acts limit the level of public funding. The Scottish Executive has no plans to seek to alter these arrangements.

Domestic Abuse

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the annual report of Women’s Aid, Glasgow and, if so, whether it plans to respond to their statement that they do not have sufficient funds to feed women and children or give them emergency night clothing.

Jackie Baillie: I am aware of the annual report which includes a list of 28 shortfalls in service for which funding was not available from Women’s Aid.

  Bids for grant from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund will be considered in accordance with the Application Guidance issued on 1 December 1999. It may well be that some of these shortfalls could be addressed through the fund.

Domestic Abuse

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funds it proposes to make available to help Women’s Aid throughout Scotland in view of the increased number of women and children seeking help through its television campaign and what plans it has to make the necessary funding available in the long term to ensure that no women or children are turned away from a refuge now or in the future because of a shortage of places through lack of funding.

Jackie Baillie: Funding for local women's aid groups is the responsibility of the local authorities. The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to disburse funds directly to local groups. However, we expect them to benefit from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund.

  The Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse will make costed recommendations on levels of service standards throughout Scotland, which we will consider very carefully.

Drugs

John Young (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the publicly funded groups or bodies working in the field of drugs education or rehabilitation or otherwise with drug misusers in Scotland, including their function, the sources and amount of public funding each receives annually, and whether it monitors the activities of other groups working in this field in order to ensure that services are not duplicated and public funding is appropriately targeted and, if so, whether it will list any such groups.

Angus MacKay: The national organisations funded directly by the Scottish Executive are shown below:

  


Name of body

  

Function

  

Source of Funding

  

Annual Public Funding

  



Scotland Against Drugs

  

Education and prevention

  

Health Department

  

£1,000,000

  



Scottish Drugs Forum

  

Co-ordinating voluntary 

  agencies and training

  

Health Department

  

£177,320

  



HEBS

  

Education and prevention

  

Health Department

  

£260,000

  



Fast Forward Positive Lifestyles

  

Drug education and 

  training

  

Community Education

  

£50,470

  



Crew 2000

  

Drug education

  

Section 10 grant 

  (SWS)

  

£26,136

  



Scottish Drugs Training Project

  

Training of professionals

  

Health Department

  

£225,000

  



Paisley Centre for Alcohol and 

  Drugs Training

  

Training

  

Education Department 

  & Health Department

  

£126,651

  



  However, the majority of organisations working in the field of drug misuse are funded at a local level by the relevant statutory authorities and details are not held centrally. It is for the statutory authorities, in liaison with local Drug Action Teams (DATs), to ensure the appropriate level of service provision and targeting of services in line with national guidance and in support of the national objectives contained in Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership.

  The Executive is currently monitoring the work of the DATs in this area.

Economy

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the first edition of the new Scottish Economic Report .

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is today publishing the first edition of the new Scottish Economic Report  as part of a new series of publications on the Scottish economy. Copies have been laid before the Parliament.

Employment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will request Her Majesty's Government to obtain from the Department of Trade and Industry, North East of England, figures of the number of Borders workers formerly employed by Viasystems and employed by Viasystems North Tayside over the past 17 months, and to obtain a breakdown of these figures on a month-by-month basis with these numbers categorised under the heads "managerial" and "non-managerial".

Henry McLeish: The Department of Trade & Industry obtain appropriate information from the company to allow them to monitor the investment project which they are assisting on North Tyneside.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last surveyed the availability of aggregates in Scotland, and when it expects to issue its findings.

Sarah Boyack: The Survey of Aggregate Working in Scotland is carried out every four years. The last published results, for the year 1993, were issued in 1995. The most recent survey covered the year 1997 but a relatively poor response rate from aggregate producers, coupled with other factors including confidentiality rules and local authority reorganisation, has to date prevented publication of the results. Ways of resolving these difficulties are currently being considered and it is not yet possible to state when, or indeed if, the 1997 results will be published.

Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the spring supplementary estimates will be placed before the Finance Committee and to what level the information will be given.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Spring Supplementary Order was laid on 21 January. As the Order affects the transitional year it must follow the Westminster format and will be similar to the Autumn Supplementary Order.

Fisheries

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the functions of the Secretary of State’s (Electricity) Fisheries Committee have been taken over by another body and, if so, what is that body, what is its remit, who sits on it, when did it last meet and when will its report, if any, be published.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Fisheries Committee continues to function but, post-devolution, reports to the First Minister. A copy of its most recent annual report (to end-March 1999) has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Food

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how it first became aware of the French Prime Minister’s recently publicised views on Scottish beef in relation to the current ban on beef imports by France.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive became aware of the views expressed by the French Prime Minister on his apparent preference for a UK herd-based export scheme, which might include Scottish herds such as Aberdeen Angus, through press reports immediately following his reported remarks. The Executive was aware, however, of the general French view in favour of herd-based arrangements through the clarification discussions between the UK, France and EU Commission on the Date Based Export Scheme. Scottish Executive officials were involved throughout these discussions.

Food

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what direct discussions and communications it has had with the French Government to persuade it to lift the current ban on beef exports to France.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Executive officials were present at all the technical discussions with the French on the Date Based Export Scheme and aimed at encouraging the French to comply with their obligations in respect of this scheme under EU legislation.

Food

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Her Majesty’s Government informed the First Minister or the Scottish Rural Affairs Minister at any point prior to 14 December 1999, of the French Government’s views on an exemption of Scottish beef from the current ban on UK beef imports to France.

Ross Finnie: The French Prime Minister’s comments on a UK herd-based export scheme, which might have included Scottish herds, were never translated into a formal offer and were in any event unrealistic because they were at odds with the negotiated arrangements for lifting the ban, and also with the underlying Florence Agreement framework.

  Accordingly, the French Prime Minister’s views were not considered in the technical discussions with the French on the Date Based Export Scheme.

Health

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the difference in costs and rates between caesarean section delivery and normal vaginal delivery, broken down by health board over the last five years.

Susan Deacon: The table below shows the caesarean section rate by health board in Scotland over the period 1995 to 1999. Information on the costs of caesarean sections compared with normal vaginal delivery is not available.

  

 

1995 

  

1996 

  

1997 

  


 


Caesarean Sections 

  


Caesarean Sections 

  


Caesarean Sections 

  



Health Board 

  

Maternities 

  

No. 

  

% 

  

Maternities 

  

No. 

  

% 

  

Maternities 

  

No. 

  

% 

  



Argyll and Clyde 

  

4,721 

  

750 

  

15.9 

  

4,573 

  

808 

  

17.7 

  

4,558 

  

821 

  

18.0 

  



Ayrshire and Arran 

  

4,044 

  

691 

  

17.1 

  

3,965 

  

729 

  

18.4 

  

3,916 

  

732 

  

18.7 

  



Borders 

  

1,035 

  

152 

  

14.7 

  

1,077 

  

204 

  

18.9 

  

1,045 

  

215 

  

20.6 

  



Dumfries and Galloway 

  

1,632 

  

190 

  

11.6 

  

1,567 

  

207 

  

13.2 

  

1,399 

  

201 

  

14.4 

  



Fife 

  

3,469 

  

520 

  

15.0 

  

3,314 

  

493 

  

14.9 

  

3,202 

  

467 

  

14.6 

  



Forth Valley 

  

3,300 

  

510 

  

15.5 

  

3,207 

  

423 

  

13.2 

  

3,125 

  

462 

  

14.8 

  



Grampian 

  

6,269 

  

938 

  

15.0 

  

5,850 

  

876 

  

15.0 

  

5,958 

  

1,007 

  

16.9 

  



Greater Glasgow 

  

1,3279 

  

2,341 

  

17.6 

  

13,038 

  

2,201 

  

16.9 

  

12,726 

  

2,240 

  

17.6 

  



Highland 

  

2,589 

  

419 

  

16.2 

  

2,692 

  

477 

  

17.7 

  

2,378 

  

417 

  

17.5 

  



Lanarkshire 

  

4,843 

  

843 

  

17.4 

  

4,711 

  

816 

  

17.3 

  

4,627 

  

835 

  

18 

  



Lothian 

  

9,285 

  

1521 

  

16.4 

  

9,219 

  

1,560 

  

16.9 

  

9,251 

  

1,573 

  

17 

  



Orkney 

  

149 

  

19 

  

12.8 

  

138 

  

17 

  

12.3 

  

136 

  

23 

  

16.9 

  



Shetland 

  

215 

  

10 

  

4.7 

  

198 

  

5 

  

2.5 

  

173 

  

5 

  

2.9 

  



Tayside 

  

4,787 

  

738 

  

15.4 

  

4,678 

  

741 

  

15.8 

  

4,778 

  

762 

  

15.9 

  



Western Isles 

  

245 

  

46 

  

18.8 

  

250 

  

47 

  

18.8 

  

209 

  

40 

  

19.1 

  



Scotland 

  

59,862 

  

9,688 

  

16.2 

  

58,477 

  

9,604 

  

16.4 

  

57,481 

  

9,800 

  

17.0 

  



  

 

1998 

  

1999 

  


 


Caesarean Sections 

  


Caesarean Sections 

  



Health Board 

  

Maternities 

  

No. 

  

% 

  

Maternities 

  

No. 

  

% 

  



Argyll and Clyde 

  

4,518 

  

927 

  

20.5 

  

4,197 

  

950 

  

22.6 

  



Ayrshire and Arran 

  

3,863 

  

770 

  

19.9 

  

3,821 

  

763 

  

20.0 

  



Borders 

  

973 

  

169 

  

17.4 

  

941 

  

160 

  

17.0 

  



Dumfries and Galloway 

  

1,530 

  

257 

  

16.8 

  

1,324 

  

280 

  

21.1 

  



Fife 

  

3,175 

  

594 

  

18.7 

  

3,103 

  

571 

  

18.4 

  



Forth Valley 

  

3,288 

  

536 

  

16.3 

  

3,273 

  

572 

  

17.5 

  



Grampian 

  

6,040 

  

1,077 

  

17.8 

  

5,583 

  

1,121 

  

20.1 

  



Greater Glasgow 

  

12,932 

  

2,294 

  

17.7 

  

9,943 

  

1,985 

  

20.0 

  



Highland 

  

2,393 

  

470 

  

19.6 

  

2,369 

  

503 

  

21.2 

  



Lanarkshire 

  

4,631 

  

871 

  

18.8 

  

4,948 

  

868 

  

17.5 

  



Lothian 

  

9,056 

  

1,636 

  

18.1 

  

8,958 

  

1,702 

  

19.0 

  



Orkney 

  

127 

  

18 

  

14.2 

  

122 

  

22 

  

18.0 

  



Shetland 

  

193 

  

10 

  

5.2 

  

184 

  

8 

  

4.3 

  



Tayside 

  

4,681 

  

744 

  

15.9 

  

4,484 

  

791 

  

17.6 

  



Western Isles 

  

195 

  

34 

  

17.4 

  

174 

  

25 

  

14.4 

  



Scotland 

  

57,595 

  

10,407 

  

18.1 

  

53,424 

  

10,321 

  

19.3 

  



  Notes:

  1. The figures are for a year-end of 31 March.

  2. Maternities are defined as a pregnancy which results in a live or a stillbirth, multiple pregnancies being counted only once.

  3. The data excludes maternities delivered at home or at non-NHS hospitals.

  4. In multiple deliveries individual babies may have different modes of delivery. The data for 1998 and 1999 is as yet provisional.

  5. The figures for 1998 and 1999 are as yet provisional.

Housing

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will rescind the capital receipt payback rule in respect of the housing accounts of local authorities in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The housing capital receipts set-aside rules are in place to reduce the overall level of local authority housing debt. There are no plans to rescind the rules.

Housing

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the rule of "reasonableness" will still pertain with regard to eviction orders issued by sheriff courts to local authorities under the new Social Tenancy Agreements.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Where the rule of reasonableness currently applies under a secure tenancy agreement, it is proposed that it will continue to apply under the new Single Social Tenancy agreement.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1201 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 10 September 1999, whether it will identify the bodies being consulted about the employment and training opportunities arising from New Housing Partnerships, identify a website address for the consultation document and indicate when the consultation period will close and when it anticipates reporting on the findings of its consultation.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Consultations to date have involved a range of bodies including Scottish Homes, Scottish Enterprise and local authorities. Consultations have been informal and no consultation document has been issued.

Housing

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for fraudulent housing benefit claims, and in which local authority areas.

Ms Wendy Alexander: : Housing benefit is an issue reserved to Westminster. When local authorities undertake prosecutions, they act as agents for the Department of Social Security. The Scottish Executive does not itself collect figures on these prosecutions.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it has responded to the request from Scottish Border Council for an additional housing revenue account borrowing consent of £250,000.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Scottish Borders Council’s request for additional housing capital consent will be considered shortly, along with the representations made by other councils, when it becomes clearer if resources are available for supplementary allocations this financial year.

Information

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the 1999 edition of The Scottish Abstract of Statistics and what the publication schedule is for future editions of this work.

Mr Jack McConnell: We do not plan to publish a 1999 edition of The Scottish Abstract of Statistics . This compendium was published annually up to 1996 and then in 1998. If we continue with a volume in this format, the next edition would be that for 2000.

  The Scottish Abstract is a summary of material which has, with few exceptions, previously appeared in other publications. Updated versions of information which appeared in the 1998 Abstract have already been published in a variety of ways, for example, in statistical bulletins.

Information

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a commitment to return to annual publication of The Scottish Abstract of Statistics .

Mr Jack McConnell: No. We will shortly be inviting users of statistics to comment on our future dissemination strategy, when we publish the Scottish Executive Statistical Programme for 2000-01. Their views will inform our decisions on the format and frequency of our publications. It would be inappropriate to give commitments on specific volumes until that consultation is concluded.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3269 by Mr Jack McConnell on 27 December 1999, what amount or percentage of District Court activity was related to road traffic offences.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is not possible to breakdown District Court activity by time or effort in this way. As a broad indicator, the table below compares the number of persons proceeded against in district courts for motor vehicle and other offences. The table excludes cases where the motoring offence is a secondary offence, and fiscal fines and police conditional offers, which are collected, but not imposed, by the courts.

  

 

1994

  

1995

  

1996

  

1997

  

1998

  



Non-motor vehicle offences

  

45,669

  

46,685

  

46,176

  

44,155

  

39,569

  



Motor vehicle offences

  

33,524

  

30,291

  

26,497

  

27,656

  

25,560

  



Motor vehicle offences as % of 

  all offences

  

42%

  

39%

  

36%

  

39%

  

39%

  



All offences

  

79,193

  

76,976

  

72,673

  

71,811

  

65,129

Land Reform

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult about amendment of the 100 metre rule as contained in section 17 of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Bill in order to ensure that the feudal title conditions are not simply preserved in most parts of rural Scotland by notice procedure.

Mr Jim Wallace: We do not intend to consult further on this matter, but we will listen to any arguments expressed during Stage 2 of the Bill’s progress, both about the 100 metre rule and about the proposed notices procedures introduced in sections 17 and 18 of the Bill.

Local Government Finance

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Mr Jack McConnell on local government finance on 8 December 1999, whether it will estimate the share in respect of each council of the £15 million held back from the total allocations and indicate whether the £15 million will affect councils’ indicative spending guidelines.

Mr Jack McConnell: The £15 million has been released within the settlement following a revision to the estimated costs to local authorities of loan and leasing charges for next year. The £15 million has been disregarded for the purposes of calculating councils’ spending guidelines and consequently will have no effect on guidelines.

  If loan and leasing charges had been higher than the levels now expected, the £15 million would have been allocated using existing procedures.

Local Government Finance

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the total net allocation of capital allowances (excluding adjustments for receipts which councils themselves are expected to make) made to Scottish local authorities in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98, (d) 1998-99 and (e) 1999-2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: For details of capital allocations to local authorities for the current year and each of the last four financial years, I refer the member to my letter of 9 September, sent in response to questions S1W-743 and S1W-744. A copy is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  This is the first year that capital receipts have been taken into account in the distribution of non-housing capital allocations. The gross non-housing allocations for 1999-2000 include forecast capital receipts of £94.7 million.

Local Government Finance

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the formula and calculation used for the non-housing capital allocation to West Dunbartonshire council in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98 and (d) 1998-99.

Mr Jack McConnell: West Dunbartonshire Council did not exist in 1995-96. Special arrangements applied in 1996-97 to account for local government reorganisation. The bulk of the allocation was determined by inherited commitments. By agreement with CoSLA a formula allocation was used from 1997-98. West Dunbartonshire’s formula share of the total was 1.7% in both 1997-98 and 1998-99.

  The formula agreed in 1997 has five elements. A fixed element of £1 million for every council and four variable elements for Education, Transport, non-HRA Housing, and a General element represented by population.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its review of the planning system will bring forward proposals to prevent or control the implementation of "begun developments" either in general where significant time periods have elapsed between development beginning and the implementation of subsequent phases of development, or in circumstances where either the adopted Structure and Local Plans have been amended materially in the interim, or where the relevant planning authority considers that the development proposal should now be subject to traffic, environmental impact or other assessments which were not required when the original consent was issued.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to amend planning legislation in the way suggested.

  In circumstances where a planning authority anticipates problems of the sort outlined it is open to that authority to serve a completion notice on the developer specifying a period after which the planning permission shall cease to have effect.

Police

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what weight it gives to the need to police the M74 and A75 when considering the allocation of resources to Dumfries and Galloway Police Force.

Mr Jim Wallace: The allocation of police officers to specific individual tasks is an operational matter for Chief Constables. The 2000-01 GAE settlement took into account a need assessment made by individual forces.

Rural Affairs

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects approvals of applications for the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme to be re-started after its announcement of a delay in such approvals on 3 December 1999 and what action it is taking to ensure that the European Commission makes this delay as short as possible.

Ross Finnie: The Commission has up to six months to approve the Scottish Rural Development Plan submitted on 29 December 1999 which includes the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. The Scottish Executive will play its full part in the negotiations during this period.

Rural Affairs

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the possibility of introducing an early retirement scheme for farmers and crofters.

Ross Finnie: An early retirement scheme for farmers and crofters was one of a number of options included in a wide-ranging consultation exercise early in 1999. The response to that exercise demonstrated mixed views on an early retirement scheme.

  There is now a further opportunity for views to be offered on an early retirement scheme. I have recently announced a further consultation exercise on a package of measures which could be funded under the new EU Rural Development Regulation. These measures include investments in holdings, training, forestry, marketing and processing, diversification, support to Less Favoured Areas and provision of an early retirement scheme. I will review the position as soon as possible after the consultation closes on 21 February.

Rural Affairs

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail what action is being taken to tackle any welfare problems of caste ewes and whether it is considering (a) issuing legally binding notices to vets to give them powers to address any welfare problems and (b) enhancing existing animal welfare legislation to make neglect a more serious offence.

Ross Finnie: All welfare problems which come to light are dealt with as a matter of urgency. Advice is given to the responsible person on appropriate measures to alleviate suffering, and where such advice is not acted upon, the case can be referred to the Procurator Fiscal for consideration of prosecution should the circumstances so warrant.

  Enforcement of welfare on farms is a matter for the State Veterinary Service acting on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Under the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 officers are fully authorised to enter premises to inspect animals and to offer advice on how to improve the welfare of the livestock concerned. Where necessary, there are measures under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 to allow animals to be taken into care to prevent further suffering.

  The seriousness of animal neglect and cruelty is already well recognised in statute. The level of penalty imposed on any proven offence is a matter for the courts.

Social Inclusion

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are currently being taken by the Executive or by local authorities to stamp out illegal money lending by "loan sharks".

Jackie Baillie: Consumer protection is a reserved matter and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government. The Scottish Executive is addressing financial exclusion through a variety of measures, which includes support for credit unions as one way of improving access to low-cost credit.

Taxation

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to look at the summary warrant procedure which exists for the collection of council tax debts and, in particular, allowing council tax payers the opportunity to make representations to an independent party prior to a summary warrant being issued, as is the case with civil debts prior to a final decree being obtained.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am currently considering the need for a wide-ranging review of the diligence system as a whole. Any such review would include a review of the summary warrant procedure. It is already open to local taxpayers, prior to the grant of a summary warrant, to appeal where they consider that there has been an error in calculating their liability for council tax. The appeal, in the first instance is to the relevant council and, if a mutually acceptable solution cannot be reached within two months, the appeal would then be considered by a Valuation Appeal Committee. Valuation Appeal Committees are independent of both central and local government.

Taxation

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve council tax collection rates by (a) discontinuing joint billing of water and sewerage charges with council tax; (b) allowing the statutory instalment scheme to commence in April; (c) allowing local authorities to issue a combined reminder and final notice; (d) giving councils the right to refuse to sell council housing to tenants with outstanding council tax arrears; (e) giving councils the right to bill and collect rent and council tax jointly and (f) implementing other recommendations made in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ recently published report It Pays to Pay .

Mr Jack McConnell: The report, It Pays to Pay , is a joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive paper. It was published on 22 December 1999, and we are considering these and other recommendations.

Taxation

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to discuss with Her Majesty’s Government the implementation of recommendations in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ recently published report It Pays to Pay which relate to reserved matters.

Mr Jack McConnell: The report, It Pays to Pay , was jointly prepared by a CoSLA/Scottish Executive officials working group. It was published on 22 December 1999 and we are considering the recommendations.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-803 by Sarah Boyack on 9 December 1999, whether the rail passenger transport scheme is the only fund controlled by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority which can be used to fund investment in new railway infrastructure in Scotland, what resources are available from this scheme in 1999-2000, and what resources are available from this scheme in 1999-2000 for new railway infrastructure in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: The Shadow Strategic Rail Authority administers the Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) scheme and the Infrastructure Investment Fund (IIF) on a GB-wide basis. RPP is available for new or enhanced local and regional rail services that are not commercially viable. IIF is aimed at "pinch point" infrastructure projects which cannot be undertaken by Railtrack on a commercial basis. The launch of IIF is awaiting the outcome of the Office of the Rail Regulator’s Regulatory Review of Railtrack. RPP and IIF are in addition to the franchise payments made by the Authority to the 25 train operating companies, which are more than £1 billion in 1999-2000.

  The total fund available under RPP and IIF is £105 million over the three years between 1999 and 2002. The budget for 1999-2000 is £20 million. There is no separate allocation for Scotland. Proposals for projects in Scotland will be assessed against criteria applied to all applications from across GB.

Video Conferencing

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what video conferencing facilities are available to Ministers and officials.

Mr Jack McConnell: There are video conferencing facilities in each of the main Scottish Executive buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are available for use by Scottish Ministers and officials of the Executive. In addition there are facilities in the offices of the Scotland Office in Dover House, London, which are available for use by Scottish Ministers and Scottish Executive officials when required; and Ministers may use the video conferencing suite in the Parliament Committee Chambers at George IV Bridge provided for MSPs.

Video Conferencing

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidelines on the use of video conferencing facilities have been issued to Ministers and their officials and, if so, what these guidelines are.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive's good practice guidance on meetings, available to all Ministers and officials of the Scottish Executive, advises anyone arranging a meeting to consider the options available, including video conferencing. Operational guidance on the use of the video conferencing facilities is provided at each facility in the Scottish Executive.

Video Conferencing

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned any study into the comparative costs of travel by Ministers and officials to meetings and use of video conferencing facilities.

Mr Jack McConnell: No such study has been commissioned. However, the Scottish Executive recognises that video conferencing is a very cost-effective means of conducting meetings in certain circumstances. We are continuing to develop and extend the use of video conferencing where this has the potential to save time or money.

Video Conferencing

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has entered into discussions with Her Majesty's Government, local authorities or other bodies with a view to achieving a co-ordinated approach to the use of video conferencing facilities and, if so, what has been the outcome of those discussions.

Mr Jack McConnell: Scottish Executive officials are discussing with colleagues in the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities the further development of video conferencing among Scottish local authorities and between them and the Scottish Executive. The use of video conferencing facilities between the Executive and London-based Departments is already well-established.